Fortune's Fools
by Rae D. Magdon
Summary: When Lycoris Tevos enters into a friends-with-benefits arrangement with Athena T'Soni, she is confident that she can fake her way through her inexperience and preserve their close relationship. But all bets are off once her crush starts growing into something more... (MMIP Universe)
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Yup! Athena and Lycoris are back by popular request, this time in a much longer story. It's all about how they go from a friends-with-benefits arrangement to full-on love, and will probably coincide with a rewrite of Starcrossed Lovers at some point. I dragged **_psychotic-cat_ **into this project and forced her to give me her much-appreciated help. She is awesome. If you have suggestions for scenes, you can leave them in the reviews. I've got a skeleton down but we love reader input!

**Warning:** You know the drill. All the stuff in my Aria/Tevos fanfics? Some things are inherited, I guess. ;D Expect bondage, dirty talk, spanking, cock stuff, vanilla stuff, adorable first-time fumbling, and grand, sweeping confessions of love. But although psychotic-cat and I are looking forward to torturing and embarrassing these kids A LOT, we promise that Lycoris and Athena will not find out their respective parents are swingers. That's just TMI for the poor dears.

**. . .**

**Fortune's Fools**

**. . .**

"You know, as much as I complain about Diana and Nezzy, I kind of miss them now that we're over at your place," Athena sighed as she lounged back against the pillows. "I guess I'm used to having a bit more noise around. I keep expecting them to burst in and start bothering us like they usually do..."

While Athena stared lazily at the ceiling, Lycoris took the opportunity to steal an unnoticed glance at her reclining figure. Her gaze lingered on the soft strip of skin just beneath her shirt, trying and failing to keep her expression neutral. She only allowed herself a few seconds to look before she averted her eyes and shifted on the edge of the mattress, crossing one leg over the other. "Tell me you're joking," she drawled. "The entire reason I invited you over here was so we could get some time away from them."

Athena stretched her arms above her head, and Lycoris swallowed down a lump in her throat as the gap of skin beneath her shirt grew wider. "I don't know... maybe I'm just bored. There isn't much to do around your parents' apartment. I keep picturing your mom in my head, imagining how angry she'll be if I break something."

"There's as much to do here as there is at your house. Just fewer annoying sisters to get in the way," Lycoris said, feeling a little defensive. But the more she thought about it, the more she had to admit that she missed Athena's sisters, too. Not because she actually wanted them around, but because they provided a convenient buffer. Spending time alone with Athena had started to feel awkward lately, and without Diana and Benezia around to act as a buffer, uncomfortable thoughts kept creeping into her head. They were pleasant thoughts - mostly - but they also made her nervous. One of those thoughts struck her, and it flew from her mouth before she could think better of it. "Actually, there is something really interesting here that I'm sure you don't have in your apartment."

"Really?" Athena asked, abandoning her relaxed pose and sitting up on the bed. Lycoris privately mourned the loss of that strip of beautiful skin, but slowly moved to sit up as well. Her loss was replaced with something better when Athena's face lit up with a smile, and the strange fluttery feeling she had experienced several times over the past few months started up in her chest. "Care to elaborate?"

It took Lycoris a few moments to answer. She blinked, then swallowed, trying to appear nonchalant as she gave a careless shrug of her shoulder. "I dunno. You said you were worried about pissing my mom off... and showing you would definitely piss her off."

Athena's eyes widened with unconcealed interest. "Try me."

Lycoris considered her options in silence, but it didn't take long for temptation to win out. She smirked and stood up, shifting her weight to one hip and crossing her arms over her chest. "You sure you can handle it?" she teased. "I don't want you freaking out once you see it."

"Oh, I can certainly handle it." Athena scooted across the bed and stood up next to her. "You have to show me. Come on, please?"

Lycoris barely managed to stifle a shiver of delight as Athena's fingers curled around her crossed forearms. She pretended to think about it for a few extra seconds, knowing the entire time that she couldn't resist. "All right, I'll show you," she said when she saw that Athena was nearly bursting with anticipation.

The grip on her elbow tightened, and Lycoris felt her face heat up when Athena's arm slid into hers. "Lead the way. I'm dying to know what it is."

"Where it is," Lycoris corrected as they made their way out of her bedroom. She led Athena down the hall, past the kitchen, and through the living room, only stopping when they reached the small coat closet beside the front door.

Athena's brow furrowed. "Your 'interesting secret' is hidden in a coat closet?"

"Sort of. Just wait for it." Lycoris let go of Athena's arm and opened the door, revealing several mundane items of clothing. She pushed aside one of her father's many cropped white jackets to show the very back of the closet, but instead of a wall, there was a small, glowing green pressure pad tucked into one corner.

"It's an elevator," Athena gasped, unable to hide the edge of excitement in her voice. "A secret room?"

Lycoris grinned as she keyed in the code. "Better. It's an entire secret floor. My folks own the apartment below this one, and... well, you'll see."

Athena rushed into the elevator without any prompting, nearly dragging Lycoris along with her. She laughed at her friend's excitement and stumbled in beside her. They didn't have to press any buttons since the elevator only slid between two floors, but she could sense Athena's impatience as they began moving. She wouldn't have put it past her father to have purposely installed a slow-moving elevator for the express purpose of drawing out the anticipation.

She wasn't entirely sure why, but Lycoris was feeling a little bit nervous herself. She already knew what was down in the secret floor beneath her family's apartment, but this would be the first time she had explored it with someone else. And that someone was not only her best friend, but a person she had become more and more aware of in the past couple of months.

Finally, the elevator came to a stop. Lycoris felt Athena clutch tighter at her arm, and she had to stifle a gasp. Although they were used to touching each other, their physical contact had taken on a different dimension lately, and sometimes she found it hard to breathe when Athena was so close. Fortunately, the doors hissed open a few moments later, offering a convenient distraction. Dim lights flickered to life around them as they stepped into the room, and Athena's eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh, Goddess..."

_Oh Goddess indeed,_ Lycoris thought. She had been similarly surprised the first time she had visited the room. It was much larger than expected, but filled with all kinds of interesting furniture, including a large, intimidating 'X' on prominent display near the center. Wide, comfortable couches were positioned at strategic locations, and the far wall was covered in various paddles, crops, and restraints - all organized by shape and color.

Athena's eyes followed hers, and she did a double-take at the sight of the wall. "Corrie? What is this place?"

Lycoris grinned. "Come on, The. There's at least twenty different paddles on the wall and a giant Nos Astra Doublebar in the middle of the room. You know exactly what this place is."

"A giant... what?" Athena stammered. "You mean that?" She pointed at the large X. "I - I didn't even know it had a name, and I've seen a fair amount of... Wait, how do you know what it's called?"

Lycoris tried desperately not to blush and she was thankful for the muted lighting in the room that hid most of her reaction. "I looked it up, of course," she said with as much bravado and nonchalance as she could muster. While it was true that she'd looked up what the contraption was, and what exactly it was used for, she had been hunkered protectively over her omnitool at the time. She had carefully erased her browser history after she finished as well, just in case either of her parents were keeping a closer eye on her extranet activities than she realized. She sauntered up to the x-frame, walking around one of the couches facing the center of the room, and ran her hand over the gleaming frame. Before she could lose her courage, she cleared her throat and asked the question that was bursting to get out. "So, wanna see how it works?"

This was as bold a proposition as she could force herself to make, and she made sure to modulate her voice so that Athena's refusal would roll right off her. But to her surprise, Athena didn't immediately refuse. When Lycoris finally looked at her, she noticed that Athena had pulled her lower lip between her teeth, worrying the soft, supple flesh.

A spark of pleasure hit Lycoris directly in the gut, so intense that it nearly doubled her over, and she had to clamp her legs shut. She knew the basics about sexual pleasure, but had never experienced it like this. Even the limited experimenting she had done on her own hadn't produced such powerful reactions, and she was afraid of ruining her pants, meld or no meld.

"I - I'm not sure," Athena murmured. Her eyes stayed on the floor, but they kept darting guiltily toward the x-frame every few seconds. "I mean, it seems fairly self-explanatory... you know..."

Lycoris did her best to conceal her disappointment. It was extremely difficult, especially since the fluttery feeling in her stomach and the pounding between her legs refused to go away. She struck a casual pose, shrugging her shoulders and folding her hands behind her back. There was still one option left, and although she was hesitant to use it, Athena's uncertainty had left her desperate. "What? Are you afraid?"

Athena let out a huff and straightened her shoulders. "Of course not! Why would I be afraid of a silly piece of furniture?"

"A Nos Astra Doublebar," Lycoris reminded her. She was very pleased with the reaction she had gotten, although the purple tinge spreading across Athena's cheeks made her chest tighten and her pants feel even more constricting. She suddenly wished she hadn't copied her father's look quite so much. Leather had its disadvantages. "And if you're not afraid, prove it."

Athena was still a little hesitant, but Lycoris knew she had her when she lifted her head and stared at the doublebar with a determined look in her eye. She watched as Athena marched around the couch and walked up to her. Lycoris knew Athena well enough to see that she was too proud to stand down from a challenge, and while she felt a little underhanded for using this particular tactic, it certainly was effective at getting her what she wanted.

Once Athena was standing with her back against the x-frame, the little flash of courage seemed to desert her again, and Lycoris didn't have the heart to start barking orders at her. Instead, she leaned close and whispered, "Lift your arms over your head." She didn't turn away when Athena looked at her, searching for something in her eyes. Lycoris wasn't certain what Athena found, but she must have been reassured, because she settled more comfortably back against the frame and lifted her hands after taking a deep breath.

There were already restraints attached to the frame, and Lycoris was thankful that they were padded cuffs instead of metallic ones. She didn't want to make Athena any more uncomfortable than she already was, and she certainly didn't want to hurt her in any way. She tried to be especially gentle as she leaned up and circled one wrist with a cuff, cinching it closed so that it wasn't too tight, but Athena still couldn't get free without help.

"This isn't hurting you, is it?" she whispered beside Athena's cheek as she tested the restraints.

Her stomach lurched a little as Athena flexed her fingers, testing her range of movement. "No. It just feels... funny, I guess."

"Funny how?"

Athena's blush grew deeper beneath her freckles. "I'm not sure," she murmured. "Maybe I'm afraid I just look strange with my arms stuck up over my head."

It took an effort of will to move away, but Lycoris forced herself to step back and take in the view. Athena looked absolutely breathtaking. With her wrists attached to the x-frame, her shirt had ridden up once again, revealing that same tantalizing strip of skin. The muscles of her stomach were taut, and her breasts were on even more prominent display than usual. It might have been wishful thinking, but she thought she could even see the outline of her nipples through the fabric of her shirt. "Um..." she said, swallowing to work moisture into her dry mouth. Apparently, it had rushed everywhere else instead. "You... you don't look strange, I promise. Maybe a little uncomfortable, though."

"Not really," Athena said. She kicked the lower part of the x-frame with the back of her heel and grinned. "It's not as bad as I thought."

Lycoris suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to restrain Athena's legs. "That's because I'm not finished showing you how it works yet." She dropped to her knees, and her heart began racing faster as she drew level with Athena's hips. Resisting the temptation to reach out and feel their shape was not an easy task. Instead, she fumbled with the loose cuffs near the base of the x-frame, looping one of them around Athena's bare ankle and cinching it tight. "Still doing okay?" she asked, gazing up from her crouched position.

There was a look in Athena's eyes as she looked down on her that Lycoris couldn't quite identify, but she could feel herself getting uncomfortably aroused because of it. And even as she worried that Athena might soon be able to read her true feelings in her gaze, Lycoris couldn't look away. She had always thought that Athena was beautiful, but her friend looked absolutely breathtaking from this particular view, and Lycoris had to fight the urge to lean forward and run her tongue over that soft strip of skin that had been tempting her all day.

The intimate thread between them was broken when Athena looked away and cleared her throat. "It's fine," she said softly. "Not too tight."

"Good," Lycoris said as she brought Athena's other ankle to the last padded cuff and cinched it closed. She took a deep breath before standing back up and finally looking at Athena, completely restrained and totally at her mercy. It took all of her willpower, fueled by the uncertainty of whether or not her touch would be welcome, for Lycoris to keep her hands at her sides as she took her time looking at Athena. She swallowed past the lump in her throat a few times before she could even speak, although her voice was still deeper than it usually was. "So... that's how it works. Of course, the person in your position is usually naked, or at least not wearing quite so many clothes."

The light purple flush on Athena's cheeks began spreading down from her collarbone, and Lycoris couldn't help but follow it with her eyes. She desperately wanted to step closer. Close enough to press her lips against Athena's throat and taste the salt of her skin. Close enough to find the place where her pulse point pounded...

"And what would you be wearing?" Athena asked. Lycoris thought she heard a slight catch in her friend's voice, but it could have been wishful thinking. "Latex?"

Lycoris grinned. "Leather, of course. You've seen my closet." This time, she was certain that the shudder rolling through Athena's body was not a result of her imagination. With her arms and legs trapped, there was no way for her to hide it. Her heart began pounding hard in the cage of her chest, but she couldn't resist teasing Athena just a little more. "Besides, I know how much you like my jackets."

Athena rolled her eyes. "You wish. I bet you wouldn't have a clue what to do with a girl even if you somehow managed to talk her into getting on this thing."

Lycoris felt her own face burn with embarrassment, but she managed to keep a little of her composure as she stepped closer. Athena's breaths were coming quick, causing her breasts to rise and fall, and the tips were clearly showing through the front of her shirt. She clenched her fingers into fists to prevent herself from reaching out. "I did manage to talk a girl into trying this thing... you."

"Well, yes," Athena admitted, lowering her eyes to the floor and hiding behind her lashes. "But I don't actually like it..."

"Really?" Lycoris asked. She leaned forward, deciding to take the risk. If she was wrong, it might completely ruin their friendship. But if she was right... "Then why are your nipples showing through your shirt? Why are you breathing so hard? I'm sure that if I put my fingers on your pulse, it would be racing."

Fortunately, Athena did not react with anger. Instead, she looked almost embarrassed. "I – I'm just uncomfortable. No one's ever tied me up before."

Lycoris's heart surged with hope. So far, Athena wasn't shouting at her or asking to be released. Maybe her wishful thinking wasn't quite so wishful after all. Still, she knew that she would never get Athena to admit she enjoyed being restrained out loud if the blush on her face was any indication. She decided to change tactics.

"You asked what I would do if I ever managed to talk a girl into trying this thing..." she said, walking over to the wall where a variety of paddles and other BDSM paraphernalia were hung. "Well, I'll show you." She knew that Athena's eyes were following her every move, and she deliberately took her time as she fingered a couple of different items, including an intimidating looking whip that she had no real desire to use.

Eventually, her hand moved on to a riding crop. That earned a soft gasp from behind her, and she stopped to test it out, gently plying the leather loop at the end. She had never held one before, but using it couldn't be too hard. Carefully, she took the crop down from the wall, gauging the weight in her hand. It was fairly light, and she gave it a few test swings, enjoying the look of surprise on Athena's face. "What? I'm just answering your question."

Athena began to squirm against the x-frame, obviously testing her bonds. "I... um, I just wasn't expecting that choice." Her tone was nervous, but Lycoris suspected that the darkness swallowing up her eyes wasn't a result of fear. "I've known you my whole life. You don't seem like the type that enjoys hurting people..."

Lycoris's confidence faltered, but she tried not to let it show on her face. "Who says I want to hurt anyone with it?" she said, forcing a grin. She felt a wave of relief when Athena returned it. "There are plenty of other ways to use it."

"Other ways?"

"Duh. You don't think my dad uses this room to torture mercs, do you?" She took another step forward, enjoying the way Athena's spine arched subtly as she lifted the riding crop. "Actually… scratch that. I don't want to think about what she does here."

"I don't know," Athena replied, a slight purr to her voice. "I've always thought your father was very attractive. And with even her usual choice of clothing, I can easily imagine her taking command of the room."

Lycoris froze as she tried to figure out if Athena was telling the truth about having a little crush on her father, or if her friend was just trying to provoke her, take back some of the power that had been taken away when she had been restrained. Instead of going with her first instinct, which was to cringe and say, "Gross," she decided to tease Athena right back. "Then I guess it's a good thing I look so much like my father."

She tried to suppress the smug smirk that wanted to tilt her lips when Athena's jaw dropped, but she was only marginally successful. Before Athena could think of another comeback, Lycoris focused back on what she'd been trying to do before her friend had distracted her. "Anyway, we were talking about other ways I could use this." She lifted the riding crop once again and was pleased when Athena's eyes zeroed in on the movement. At least she wasn't the only one anticipating what would happen next.

"I'll believe that when I see it," Athena said at last. She straightened against the frame, and when her gaze shifted back up from the tip of the crop, Lycoris noticed that blackness had already started to swallow the vivid green of her eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for? If you're as good as you say you are, you should have no problem making me beg you to stop."

Lycoris swallowed. She had spent more time than she wanted to admit thinking about what she would like to do to Athena if she ever got the chance - and what she would like Athena to do to her - but now that her dream was literally spread out in front of her, she wasn't sure if she would be able to follow through. She clutched the handle a bit tighter, hoping the crop wouldn't slip from her shaking, sweaty palm. This was her chance, and she didn't want to blow it.

After a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, she extended the crop, dragging the hard leather tab along the bare strip of skin she had been admiring earlier. Athena flinched slightly at the first contact, and the small, involuntary motion instantly worsened the heavy pounding between her legs. At last, she found her voice. "Oh, you won't beg me to stop," she said, tracing a line back and forth over Athena's abdomen. "I know what I'm doing. Once I get started, you're going to beg me to keep going."

Lycoris was more nervous than she'd ever been about anything in her life, but she refused to show it. How could she put Athena at ease about her knowledge and prowess if she was as jumpy as a virgin – something she had no intention of admitting at the moment. Instead, Lycoris visualized one of her favorite fantasies and worked on making it a reality.

She dragged the tip of the riding crop up the center of Athena's torso, a little sad when the dark, well-crafted leather bumped over Athena's shirt instead of the beautiful skin she'd always admired. It didn't have nearly the same effect on Athena either, but Lycoris was still pleased with the hitch in her breath the higher the crop rose. She knew that Athena must be wondering exactly where she planned to go next, and while Lycoris would have liked to tease her a little bit more, she was impatient to get to her destination.

"You can say that you don't like being strung up on this thing all you want," Lycoris purred as she drew the crop across Athena's chest, just below the underside of her breast, "but your body seems to like it." As she moved to do the same on the other side, Lycoris made sure the leather brushed against Athena's breast. Her loud, indrawn breath was heard throughout the room. Lycoris would have given anything to hear it exhaled on a moan, but Athena apparently had more self-control than that.

"You're full of yourself," Athena said, but although she managed to stammer through the response, it did not sound very convincing. She bit down on her lower lip, and Lycoris could not look away. She had spent more nights than she could list wondering how soft Athena's mouth would be. How it would feel under hers. How it would taste. As tempting as Athena's breasts were, she found herself dragging the leather tab up past the neckline of her shirt instead, brushing along the curve of her throat.

"You're such a liar. " She leaned even closer, pressing the crop underneath Athena's jaw and tilting her chin up. It took all of her willpower to keep from surging forward and latching on to the soft place where her neck met her shoulder. "Come on, just admit you like it."

Athena jerked back a few inches, pulling away from the crop to shake her head. "I don't!"

Lycoris froze. She didn't believe that for one second, but she didn't want to take any chances either. She let the crop fall back to Athena's chest, sliding down over her collarbone and resting it directly between her breasts. "Then ask me to untie you. Say the word and I'll let you down. Promise."

Athena simply stared at her with wide, dark eyes. Silence stretched between them.

A slow smile spread across Lycoris's face, and the fluttery feeling in her stomach erupted in a surge of warmth that spread through her chest. She hadn't been wrong. She dragged the edge of the crop lower, circling the curve of Athena's left breast deliberately this time. The outline of her nipple was obvious beneath the fabric of her shirt, and she couldn't resist teasing it. It hardened even further as she flicked over it, and this time, Athena did not manage to swallow back her moan in time.

"Tell me again that you don't like it," Lycoris said smugly as she circled the nipple before flicking it again, a little harder this time. Athena jerked against her restraints, and Lycoris hesitated for a second, hoping that she hadn't caused any pain. It was only when Athena opened her eyes and Lycoris saw that the blackness was growing that she was assured she hadn't gone too far.

This time, Athena couldn't even muster a protest. "Speechless already?" Lycoris asked. "I can't say that I'm surprised. You can barely catch your breath, and I can see you trembling. But you're not afraid, are you?" Lycoris slowly slid the tip of the crop across the valley between Athena's breasts until she got to the other nipple, lightly flicking that one as well.

Since Athena didn't seem willing or able to respond, Lycoris kept up a running commentary, as much to convince herself that this was really happening as to tease Athena. "No, I'm not hurting you. Every time I touch you, your body arches towards me, towards the pleasure. You like this. There's nothing wrong in admitting to it."

"I'd like to see you make me," Athena said, but her body gave her away, and she shivered as the hard leather tab teased the tip of her breast. Lycoris let the edge of the crop drag lower, wondering what other reactions she could coax from Athena's vulnerable body while it was on such enticing display. She craved the soft little whimpers that Athena was trying desperately to stifle, and her head swam at the thought that she had caused the beautiful purple flush crawling across her smooth blue skin.

Part of her wanted to throw the crop aside and remove the rest of Athena's clothes, but she knew it was too soon. Before she did anything else, she needed to hear Athena admit that she was enjoying herself. She didn't want to be alone in this feeling - this powerful desire that made her ache in ways she could not begin to describe. The only thing she wanted more than to learn every inch of Athena's body was confirmation that Athena needed her just as much. Slowly, she dragged the crop down the middle of Athena's stomach, stopping just below her navel and waiting for several breaths. "Oh, I can make you," she whispered, hiding her nervousness behind a confident grin. "But I'm not sure you're ready for it."

Athena's dark eyes fixed intently on her, and Lycoris gasped. Even though they weren't touching, she could almost imagine another consciousness pulling against hers, trying to draw her in. "Go ahead. Do your worst."

Lycoris couldn't manage a clever comeback. She could scarcely believe that Athena had given her permission to go further, but she wasn't going to waste the opportunity. She pulled the tip of the crop down, down, down, so slowly that every inch seemed to take a year. Athena sucked in a breath as the leather loop of the riding crop grazed across her stomach once again, this time only fleetingly as it continued on its exploratory journey downward. And Lycoris only realized that she was holding her own breath when she noticed that Athena had suddenly stopped breathing.

As soon as the tip of the crop reached the top of Athena's pants, Lycoris used a little bit more pressure, wanting to make sure that she felt it through the material. She didn't deviate from her path straight down the center of Athena's body. Now that she'd gotten up the courage from Athena's challenge to do it, Lycoris wasn't going to stop until her friend was begging for it, admitting that she loved everything that was happening to her.

Lycoris wished that it were Athena who had a habit of wearing tight leather pants so she could have a better visual, but even without knowing exactly what she was doing, Lycoris could read the signs of Athena's body well enough to know when she grazed her clit. Her hips jerked, and a sharp cry exploded from her throat. "If you'd just admit you like it," she whispered, trying to ignore the fact that her own pants were unquestionably already ruined and she would have a difficult time walking out of here after they were done. "I could make you feel so good. Just say the word."

Instead of protesting as she had before, Athena bit down on her lower lip. Her eyes were impossibly wide and dark, and her hips pushed subtly forward into the pressure, making soft, broken sounds each time it rubbed over the right spot. Lycoris couldn't help herself. She pressed a little harder, and her heart skipped when another surprised moan tore from Athena's throat. "Corrie!"

Heat surged between Lycoris's legs at the sound of her name. She had never heard Athena say it this way before, with an uneven edge of desperation. And she was already well past desperate herself. Everything she had ever wanted was just inches away, right at her fingertips. All she needed to do was find the courage to reach out and touch.

She tossed the crop aside, dropping it to the ground and closing the last few inches of space between them. Her fingers stroked down along the quivering flesh of Athena's abdomen, and even though she couldn't feel the warmth of her skin through the material of her gloves, her hand still trembled. "The...?" Her voice escaped in a hoarse whisper, and she found herself staring down at Athena's parted lips. She could feel the warmth of her breath, could almost taste the sweetness of her mouth, so tantalizingly close as it formed her name again.

"Corrie..."

Lycoris's lips were a breath away from Athena's when she heard the door upstairs slam shut and at least two muffled voices talking. The first thing that flitted through her head was that she'd thought her parents would have sound proofed their playroom. But less than a second later, Lycoris jerked back, and a horrified look replacing the mask of need and desire that had just been there. "Fuck, that has to be my parents!" she hissed.

That seemed to snap Athena out of the same haze, and she struggled against her bonds, trying to free herself. "Let me down, Corrie!" she cried, pulling at the restraints even though they both knew it wouldn't help. There was panic in her eyes that Lycoris wanted desperately to assuage, but all she could manage to do was focus on unbuckling one cuff at a time. She still had both of the ankle cuffs to take care of when they heard the elevator whirr to life. "Hurry!" Athena pleaded, causing Lycoris to glare at her for a second before returning to her task.

The last restraint finally loosened, and Lycoris ran for one of the couches, only stopping when she remembered the riding crop. She pushed Athena forward before dashing back to where she'd let the crop drop to the floor. She almost fell as she screeched to a stop before sprinting back to the wall where she'd found it. Luckily, it was easy to find where it usually hung since everything was in a particular order. She had just put it back when she heard the elevator doors slide open.

Not knowing what else to do, Lycoris dropped to the floor and crawled behind the nearest item that would hide her entire body, a chair that was angled for a good view of the middle of the room. She looked across the dungeon at Athena, once again struck by the panicked look on her face, but knew she'd have to wait to make it across to her. For a moment, Lycoris was tempted to just stand up and give herself away, gambling on the hope that her parents would go easier on her if she admitted her mistake rather than if they found her lurking around their playroom, but she didn't want to betray Athena as well.

She held her breath as she heard her parent's voices getting closer. They were instantly recognizable. "I swear I thought Lycoris said she was inviting Athena over here today?" Tevos said.

"You just must have heard her wrong, Thea," Aria said, obviously exasperated with a conversation that had been carrying on since before their arrival. "Lycoris is old enough to go where she wants without telling us. Why don't we just enjoy our good fortune and take advantage of the kid being out of the house?"

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and Lycoris's eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of two moving shadows along one wall. She could just make out the familiar silhouettes of her parents as they left the elevator and walked further into the room. The first shadow stopped and cocked its hip to one side - one of her mother's instantly recognizable poses. "Oh? And I suppose you have something in mind?"

"That depends." The two shadows began to overlap, their distinct figures melding into one. "Do you really want to keep worrying about our grown-up daughter's play date, or would you rather play with me?"

A hitch of breath and a low, surprised moan told Lycoris everything else she didn't want to know. She screwed up her face and turned away, unwilling to hear anymore. Even though she couldn't really see her parents, and had witnessed worse displays of affection between them when they were actually aware of her presence, the fact that they were in the dungeon made the awkwardness a thousand times worse. She needed to make her escape before anything serious started.

She caught Athena's eye, and her friend began slinking quietly toward the elevator, slipping between the doors just before they started to close. She held her hand in the gap, keeping them open as she tucked herself out of sight.

Lycoris knew she didn't have much time. Even though her parents were wrapped up in each other, probably kissing or worse, she only had a few moments before one of them noticed the elevator was still open. She dashed for freedom as quickly and quietly as she could, wincing with each muffled footfall. At last, she scrambled onto the lift, plastering herself against the far wall.

Before she could let out a sigh of relief, however, her mother's voice came floating through the doors. "Aria? Did you hear..."

A light slap and another loud moan followed. "Oh, come on. You're just asking me to gag you now..."

Lycoris didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the elevator doors had closed and the lift started into motion. Her parents couldn't call the car back until she and Athena were dropped off, so even if they had any suspicions about whether she'd been down in the dungeon or not, they couldn't prove it. As much as she didn't want to think about what her parents were doing downstairs in their secret room, Lycoris did hope that they were planning to stay down there for a while.

She couldn't look at Athena the entire elevator ride back up to the living quarters. Not only was she horribly embarrassed that her friend had heard the start of one of her parents' legendary sexual encounters – Lycoris couldn't avoid that juicy piece of gossip whenever she used the extranet – but she really wasn't certain where her friendship with Athena stood. Whatever had happened down in the dungeon had definitely changed their relationship, and Lycoris only hoped that it wasn't in a detrimental way.

They both stepped off the elevator and through the closet to stand together in the foyer, Lycoris with her arms crossed firmly over her chest as she stared interestedly at the floor and Athena with her arms hanging stiffly at her sides, her fingers flexing nervously. Finally, after a couple minutes of unfamiliar uncomfortable silence, Athena cleared her throat and said, "I should probably go home."

Lycoris's eyes shot up to Athena's face. She might have been a little uncomfortable with everything, but she certainly didn't want Athena to leave. But when she looked into Athena's eyes, Lycoris saw that her friend really did need a little bit of space. "I'll walk you," she said softly, not wanting to let her go just yet.

Athena reached out and brushed her fingers briefly against her upper arm, a tentative smile on her lips. "It's only a short walk to rapid transit, Corrie. I'll be fine."

"See you tomorrow, then?" she mumbled, trying not to look too hopeful.

Lycoris practically sagged with relief when Athena nodded in agreement. "Of course. You can come over in the afternoon."

"I will…" And then Athena left, disappearing out the front door as she stood in confused, worried silence for several moments afterward.

**. . .**

**AN:** If you haven't picked up And Once More Saw The Stars yet, please go grab your copy! And if you've already purchased and enjoyed it, please leave a review! Seriously, reviews sell copies. They are the single best way to help me be successful at this whole writer thing. I'm hoping I can quit my day job soon. c_c And that means more fanfic and original content for all of you!

www dot amazon dot com/dp/B00P181LKY  
>www dot smashwords dot combooks/view/489072


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

_"Corrie… please," Athena panted, trembling in her arms. The desperation in Athena's voice made Lycoris ache with want, but she ignored her own need, focusing on the woman she was touching intimately for the first time. She had wanted this, wanted Athena, for so long, but she was determined to push her own desires aside and make it last as long as possible. Still, there was nothing she could do to stop her legs from shaking. She quickly maneuvered Athena toward the bed, afraid she might embarrass herself by collapsing onto the floor._

_She wasn't sure how it happened, but the next thing she knew, she was on her back while Athena straddled her hips. Somewhere along the way, Athena had lost her pants, and there was nothing in the way as her fingers slid through the silky wetness between her lover's legs. Lycoris might have put up some protest at being trapped beneath Athena's weight, but the sight before her was too perfect to complain about. Athena was sinking down onto her fingers, and it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen._

_Athena rocked back and forth over her hand, taking her fingers deep into clinging warmth before pulling back and thrusting down once again. She could watch everything from her reclined position: the way Athena's stomach muscles flexed, the way her perfect breasts bounced so very temptingly out of the reach, and the growing wetness that dripped down her wrist and onto her abdomen the closer Athena got to climax._

_And then, it happened. Athena's slick muscles pulled even tighter, and the meld eclipsed her eyes, shooting them through with liquid-black light. Lycoris reached out, groping through the emptiness for the connection she so desperately craved. Even though Athena had barely touched her, she was on the razor's edge, so close that the only thing she needed was another mind to link with..._

But there was nothing there.

Lycoris shot up, flinging the covers away from her chest. Her head throbbed with unreleased energy, and the swollen, strained bud of her clit seemed to have its own heartbeat. She groaned, twisting the sheets in her sweaty hands as she realized that none of it had been real. She had been dreaming again - the same awful, wonderful dream that tortured her most nights. Their activities varied, but Athena's presence was always a constant.

She let out a muffled whimper and sank her teeth into her lower lip, flopping down onto her side and cupping a hand between her legs. It only made the ache worse, and she curled her knees up to her chest, shutting her eyes tight and praying that the feelings wouldn't last long. Wetness seeped through her fingers, and she realized with some embarrassment that there was already a sizable spot on the sheets beneath her.

"Fuck," she hissed. She desperately wanted to rub her fingers over her clit to ease some of the discomfort, but she knew from painful experience that it would only make the problem grow. Without the meld, she was helpless. And the dream had felt so real…

Lycoris tried desperately to think of something else – anything else – that wasn't related to Athena. Unfortunately, her usual tricks didn't help. When she was finally desperate enough, she let her thoughts venture to why her parents even had the dungeon. If anything could to kill her libido cold, it was thinking about her parents using the same x-frame she and Athena had played with. But even that didn't work. She kept forgetting her true purpose, remembering exactly how Athena had looked spread out so decadently before her...

Lycoris turned her head and groaned into her pillow. She needed to find a solution to her problem fast. After a few more minutes of thrashing beneath the covers and frustrated whimpering, she finally removed her sticky hand from between her legs and slumped toward the washroom, hoping a shower would fix her problem. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much help as she hoped. The full, shuddering pressure inside her wouldn't calm under the cold spray, and her fingers kept wandering back between her thighs even though she knew they wouldn't bring her the relief she needed.

At last, she gave up and began scrubbing herself raw. The pain helped a little, but her jaw remained clenched, and her stomach muscles refused to relax. Images of Athena kept flashing in her head - tied to the x-frame, kissing her, writhing beneath her... She groaned and shut off the water, not even bothering to dry off before she stomped back into the bedroom. Once she had pulled on the bare minimum of clothes just in case her parents were up, she headed for the kitchen, still trying desperately to ignore the ache in the pit of her stomach.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she headed for the cabinet above the sink, throwing it open and searching for a dose of medi-gel. Her head was still buzzing, reaching out for a meld she wouldn't get, and she could already feel the edges of a headache creeping in around her eyes. When she pulled the tube out of the cabinet, her hand brushed against a small bottle of pills. They were hormone suppressants to prevent pregnancy, and her parents had left them for her years ago "just in case". Out of idle curiosity, she checked the back to see if they were still any good.

"Lycoris?"

The sound of her name made her jump, and she hastily shoved the pills back onto the shelf, grabbing the tube of medi-gel instead. She whirled around just in time to see her mother enter the kitchen. She was already dressed, complete with omni-tool. "Oh. Hey, mom..."

"Are you all right, Corrie?"

Lycoris forced a smile and held up the tube of medi-gel. "Just a headache. I'm fine."

Tevos gave her a suspicious look. "Another one? You've been having a lot of headaches lately."

Although she was usually a good liar, Lycoris knew she wouldn't be able to fool her mother. She averted her eyes and busied herself with the tube, painting a stripe across her forehead to numb the pain. She sighed with relief as the gel sank into her skin, and the uncomfortable throbbing between her legs finally started to fade along with the headache. "It's nothing," she mumbled, and her lips twitched into a smirk as she noticed the faint line of bruising along Tevos's collarbone. "Want some? You missed a spot."

"Again? Give it here." She sighed and took the tube of medigel, squeezing a generous dollop onto her fingertips. "Oh well. At least Lazirus won't have any smug comments for me. I swear, he's just as annoying as his Uncle Sparatus used to be."

Lycoris pulled a face. She was aware that some people were a little fixated on her parents' sex life, although she couldn't for the life of her understand why. She preferred to remain in a state of denial and think about it as little as possible, and she had grown used to ignoring and dismissing the obvious signs. She had also learned to be careful with her extranet searches after one very bad experience. "At least someone's getting laid around here," she muttered under her breath as she made her way over to the pantry.

"What was that?"

"Nothing... Hey, you and Dad don't need me for anything later, right? I want to go visit Athena." The words were a bit of a surprise even to her, but once she said them, she knew that visiting Athena was the right thing to do. No matter what happened or what she was hoping for, she needed to make sure their friendship was still on good terms after yesterday.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. In fact, why don't you stay the night? Aria and I might have her parents over for drinks, so you'd have the place to yourselves."

For a moment, Lycoris wondered if her mother suspected more than she was letting on, but she decided not to push the subject. It wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. "Benezia and Diana will still be there," she pointed out. "I wouldn't call that having the place to ourselves."

Tevos laughed. "Diana won't bother you. She's good at respecting boundaries. As for Benezia, might I suggest bribery? Give her a few credits for dinner and a vid, and she'll probably leave you alone."

"Ugh. I hate the thought of giving her anything, but honestly, I would pay to keep her away from me today. I'm not in the mood to deal with her."

"Eat something before you go," Tevos said, "and stay quiet until you leave the house. Your father's still sleeping."

Lycoris's forehead lifted in surprise, but she didn't ask any questions. She didn't want to know. Instead, she thought about what she could possibly say to Athena once she went over to visit. Things were definitely going to be awkward, but maybe if she played her cards right... "Hey, Mom, how did you and Dad get together? You've never really told me."

Her mother smiled and squeezed the side of her arm. "That isn't true. I've told you several times, and you just couldn't be bothered to listen. But if you really want to know, we started seeing each other during the war."

"No. I mean, how did you first get together? How did she ask you out?"

Lycoris almost expected another suspicious look, but instead, her mother blushed. "I'd rather not discuss it. Let's just say your father can be very persuasive."

"All right, that's already way more than I needed to know. I shouldn't have asked." She reached for the tube of medigel that Tevos had left on the counter and took it back to the cabinet, slipping the small bottle of pills into her hand after only a moment's hesitation. She kept it hidden from her mother as she crossed the kitchen and headed back toward the hall. "See you later, Mom. Have a good day at work."

Once she was certain her mother wasn't going to follow her, she let out a sigh of relief and hurried back into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. She stared down at the bottle in her hand, chewing nervously at her lower lip. The throbbing started up again, and she had to swallow down the lump growing in her throat. "Well, let's hope some of Dad's charm is genetic," she mumbled to herself. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

After procrastinating for as long as she could, trying to finally rid herself of the uncomfortable pressure in her head and between her legs, Lycoris got ready to see Athena. She took extra care with her appearance, pulling on a pair of black leather pants that hugged her legs and ass like a second skin. She almost thought twice about wearing them when she became aroused again at the slight contact between her legs, but decided that any discomfort was worth it if she could capture Athena's attention.

The fly over to Athena's place seemed to take longer than usual. She spent most of the time drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, staring a little too intensely at the threads of traffic in front of her as they wove together. Driving on the Presidium was never fun, but it seemed more stressful than usual as her thoughts wandered to what she was going to say to Athena when she arrived. "Do I just ask her?" she said aloud to the empty skycar. "It's just that simple, right?"

But it wasn't that simple. Athena had seemed receptive the night before, but that didn't mean anything now. Maybe she thought it was all a big mistake, or maybe she wasn't interested in taking things further. The thought made Lycoris's heart jerk hard against the wall of her chest, and her stomach started to sink. Despite the bragging she did, and the reputation she was occasionally given thanks to her resemblance to her father, she hardly had any practical experience with dating.

She sighed as she pulled into the parking structure beside Athena's apartment. The T'Soni-Shepard household was on the top floor, inaccessible other than through a single locked door. Shepard took the apartment's security very seriously, and it was just as well-guarded as their estate on Thessia. Fortunately, she had an 'in'. The door unlocked before she could even press the buzzer, and she assumed it was because Athena was already watching the video feeds, waiting for her to show up. She couldn't help feeling a little hopeful as she made her way through the door and up the short flight of stairs. If Athena was already waiting for her, that meant her friend was eager to see her. At least, she hoped that was what it meant...

When she finally reached the apartment itself, the door was already open, and Athena was waiting for her. The sight of her smile made Lycoris's chest flutter. She swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat and smiled back. "Hey."

"Hello, Corrie." Athena remained standing in the doorway, hands clasped behind her back, looking almost as uncertain as she felt. Lycoris decided to take it as a good sign. If Athena was nervous, that probably meant she cared at least a little. Before she could gather the courage to speak, Athena abruptly turned around and started walking toward her room. Lycoris stared in surprise for a few seconds before hurrying after her.

By the time she caught up, Athena was already sitting on the bed with her back propped up against the headboard. She seemed a little more rigid than usual, and Lycoris knew without a doubt that Athena was thinking about what had transpired between them yesterday. And as much as she was scared to breach the subject, she knew they at least had to discuss it before it could cause any damage to their friendship.

Lycoris stepped inside the room and leaned against the desk parallel to Athena's bed. Her usual spot was actually sitting right next to Athena, but she figured that they both needed a little bit of distance right now, and she didn't trust herself not to go up in flames if she had to sit so close to her.

She took a moment to compose herself, looking down at her crossed arms and trying not to count the seconds as the silence stretched on. Still not entirely certain what she was going to say, Lycoris looked up to find Athena staring at her, but she couldn't read anything in her friend's eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but before she could, Athena spoke. "Close the door."

With a nervous gulp, Lycoris abandoned her casual pose on the desk and hurried to shut the door. After a quick peek down the hall to make sure Benezia and Diana were nowhere in earshot, she closed it and turned to face her fate. She tried not to look as nervous as she felt, giving Athena what she hoped was her most charming smile. If she behaved as though this was the end of the world, it probably would be. "So, yesterday was... interesting. I thought it was fun until my parents crashed the party, anyway."

Instead of looking nervous, Athena seemed almost smug as she reclined on the bed. The stiffness had left her body at the first mention of the dungeon, and her smile made Lycoris's heart flutter in her chest. "Interesting?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes. Their heat burned into Lycoris's face. "Is that really the word you'd use?"

Lycoris threaded her fingers together behind her back, rocking slightly from foot to foot. Even when she became aware of it, she couldn't stop the nervous tic. All her plans to be smooth flew out the window. "What adjective are you looking for, then?"

Athena laughed. "Oh, I don't know. Exhilarating, dangerous, intense..." She pushed herself forward, and Lycoris noticed that her brilliant green eyes were even brighter than usual, with just a trace of cloudy darkness in them. "I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds for saying so."

"No!" Lycoris stammered. "Uh, I mean, no. No, you aren't overstepping anything." She didn't know whether to be thrilled that Athena seemed to know what to say, or slightly sad that her own thunder had been stolen. This was her opportunity to be the suave seductress, and she was completely blowing it. But as long as she ended up experiencing what she had dreamed of in the end, she supposed it didn't matter. "So... it's something you'd maybe want to do again?"

"Under the right circumstances."

"What sort of circumstances?" A myriad of possible demands ran through Lycoris's head, but she was too anxious to really focus on any of them as she waited impatiently for Athena to continue.

"Well, to start, I don't want you fooling around with anyone else if you're fooling around with me. You'll have to cut off your other girls." Lycoris felt her face heat at that demand. She could barely keep from blurting out that there were no other girls - and there had never been any other girls. She could talk a big game, and did whenever she could, but she wasn't nearly as experienced as she led people to believe.

"I can do that," Lycoris said when she realized that Athena was waiting for her to answer. "Anything else?"

"You won't treat me like them, Corrie," Athena said, a serious expression eclipsing the more playful one she'd so recently worn. "We're friends first. And that's how it's always going to be."

"So, you want to try a friends with benefits arrangement? Nothing too serious. Just some innocent exploration. And if things start getting too weird for either of us, we go back to being friends." There was a lot more question in her words than confidence, but Lycoris didn't care. She didn't want to scare Athena away when she was so close to getting everything she had always wanted.

Athena stepped forward and took her hands. The contact made Lycoris's heart pound faster, and her mouth went dry. She swallowed nervously, but fortunately, Athena wasn't looking at her. She was staring at their laced fingers instead. "Our friendship means a great deal to me. I don't want anything to destroy it."

"I won't. We won't." Athena's eyes finally lifted, and she gasped. There were dark swirls within the vivid green of her irises, and the headache she had finally managed to forget came roaring back. With Athena holding her hands, it was more pressure than pain. "You have beautiful eyes," she blurted out, wincing when the words tumbled together. "I mean..."

Athena smiled up at her and shook her head. Instead of answering, she leaned forward, tilting her chin up and parting her lips. Lycoris's breath hitched. Athena was obviously waiting to be kissed, and she had no clue what to do. She had kissed a few girls back in secondary school, but that was years ago, and they had been clumsy, innocent affairs, always with the risk of getting caught. At this age, Athena probably expected her to know what she was doing... and she would eventually expect a lot more than a kiss.

There was nothing else for it. She wanted to kiss Athena desperately, no matter how terrified she was. She closed her eyes and dipped her head, praying she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Unfortunately, she couldn't aim with her eyes shut. Instead of finding Athena's lips, their noses bumped together. Both of them pulled back in surprise, and heat rushed to Lycoris's face. Her stomach churned as she considered what Athena must be thinking of her first failed attempt, but she didn't get a chance to dwell on those disappointing thoughts. Athena reached up with an indulgent smile on her lips and framed her face. Lycoris didn't resist when Athena tilted her head slightly to the side and dragged her down with a guiding hand on the back of her neck.

This time, their lips met seamlessly, and Lycoris fell helplessly into the kiss. It was tentative at first as they explored each other, and Lycoris had to admit that she followed Athena's lead for a while. She wasn't thinking about much at all except how amazingly soft and sweet Athena's lips were, and how she shouldn't have waited this long to finally taste them.

Soon, the slow pace wasn't enough. She felt ravenous with hunger, and Athena was the only thing that would satisfy her. Instead of continuing to be a passive participant, she finally took control. She brought her own hands up to hold Athena's head steady and kissed her even harder. When Athena gasped at her new forcefulness, Lycoris took the opportunity to slip her tongue into her mouth.

She must have gotten a little overzealous, because the next thing she knew, Athena was pushing at her shoulders. Lycoris immediately pulled back, afraid that she'd hurt Athena in her mindlessness, but kept her hands resting on Athena's hips, unwilling to completely sever their connection. "Slow down there," Athena said breathlessly, resting her hands against Lycoris's chest. "We have time."

Lycoris swallowed. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and her lips still tingled from the kiss. Her headache was back again, but instead of causing her pain, the pressure actually seemed pleasant. She gave Athena a shaky smile, trying to show confidence she did not feel. Her eyes darted nervously toward the bed. There were so many things she wanted to experience, things she wanted to learn about with Athena, but part of her was still terrified that she would make a mistake. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely." Athena laced their fingers together, leading her toward the bed. "My parents said they would be gone for the whole evening. We have the place to ourselves."

Lycoris almost mentioned Benezia and Diana, but decided against it. She didn't want to ruin her chances. "Okay." She leaned in for another kiss, and this time, she didn't miss. Warmth rushed through her entire body when their lips met, and her legs turned to jelly beneath her. She sank backwards onto the mattress, trying to make it look deliberate by clutching Athena's hips at the last moment and pulling her down too.

Suddenly, Athena was on top of her. Actually on top of her. For real this time, and not just in one of her fantasies. She stared at Athena's lips, which were still only a breath away from hers, and then at her eyes. The need there surprised her, and some of her doubts vanished. No matter how awkward she felt, it was good to know Athena wanted her. The desire she saw there made her confidence swell. She gathered her courage, running her hands down along Athena's sides to cradle her hips.

It felt good to finally touch Athena the way she'd been dreaming about for so long. She liked how Athena looked straddling her in her dreams, but she loved how Athena looked straddling her in real life. In fact, Lycoris could see this becoming one of her favorite positions. But as much as she enjoyed the visual, something in her needed to know what it felt like to be on top. She held tight to Athena's hips and tried to roll both of them over, but it didn't go quite as smoothly as she hoped. Athena let out a little yelp that could only have been pain, and they ended up in a tangled mess of limbs before getting sorted out by lying on their sides facing each other.

Lycoris blushed at her clumsiness, hoping she hadn't completely killed the mood. She couldn't even look Athena in the eyes until she felt soft hands on her face, and when she finally worked up the courage to lift her gaze, she saw that same sweet, indulgent smile that instantly put her at ease. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to squish you." Athena obviously forgave her, because the next moment, she was leaning forward to bring their lips together once again. Lycoris couldn't have protested even if she wanted to. Athena had some sort of mysterious hold over her. And if Lycoris had her way, that strong connection would last forever...

A loud thumping sound came from the hallway, followed by a familiar voice. "Hey, The, I just need to..." Lycoris barely had time to whirl her head around before the door slammed open. Benezia stood in the doorway, staring at them with wide eyes as her jaw hung loose in surprise. Eventually, her look of shock transformed to one of startled glee. "Holy shit! Really?"

Athena stiffened beneath her, and Lycoris suddenly realized what a compromising position they were in. Her thigh had somehow wedged itself between Athena's legs, and they were still tangled together on the bed. She gave Benezia a sheepish look and tried to pull away, but Athena was faster. Lycoris found herself tumbling over the side of the bed as Athena shoved her off and leapt to her feet. Crackling blue energy crawled over her skin, and the blackness of her eyes flared white. "Out!"

Benezia took a step back, and a flicker of fear crossed her face. She summoned her own biotics, preparing to form a shield. "Hey, calm down. I didn't do anything."

Athena was not appeased. The light around her clenched fists flared. "You bursted in on us!"

"At least I wasn't the one making out with Lycoris."

Lycoris shook herself out of her stupor and got to her feet. Since Athena seemed to have the rage covered, she took a calmer tactic, shifting her weight to one hip and folding her arms across her chest in a casual pose. While Athena had the ability to terrify her and make her stumble over herself, she knew how to handle herself around Benezia. "And what's so bad about making out with me? You're not jealous, are you?"

A look of disgust crossed Benezia's face. "Yeah, right." Lycoris was barely able to stifle her amused smile at Benezia's flippant defiance and false bravado. It was no secret that Benezia had a harmless little crush on her that was more awed curiosity than anything else. That was one of the reasons Lycoris and Athena were barely ever alone in the T'Soni/Shepard household, because Benezia always found some excuse to come around. "I'm not that desperate," Benezia mumbled, looking pleased with herself for finding a suitable comeback. "I was just stopping by to remind Athena that the last cookie Uncle Garrus sent us is mine."

As excuses for barging in on them went, this was certainly one of Benezia's most ridiculous. It was almost amusing, but then, she had always been entertained by the youngest T'Soni sister's infatuation with her. When she looked over at Athena, however, Lycoris could see that Benezia's answer was only making her angrier. Her biotics crackled dangerously around her fists, the energy crawling nearly halfway up her forearms. Lycoris knew she needed to defuse the situation fast, before Athena put Benezia in Huerta Memorial for the indefinite future.

"Well, you told her," Lycoris said, stepping forward and crowding Benezia's space until the she backpedaled out of Athena's room. "Now, go away." She didn't wait to hear whatever retort Benezia eventually came up with as she punched the pressure pad beside the door and closed it with a whoosh. She wished there were some kind of locking mechanism that would ensure their continued privacy, but Lycoris was pretty sure that Benezia was smart enough not to press her oldest sister anymore for the rest of the night.

Lycoris turned back to Athena was an awkward grin on her face. "Well, that certainly could have gone better."

Athena's biotics fizzled out, and her shoulders slumped, making her look disappointed instead of angry. "I'm sorry about her, Corrie."

"Now you know why I always prefer to spend time at my house. No annoying sisters to get in the way."

"I guess the mood is pretty much ruined," Athena sighed.

Lycoris crossed the short distance between them and took Athena into her arms. She tilted Athena's head back and lowered her own to capture her lips in a slow kiss that was all about comfort instead of their newfound passion for each other. "It's okay. How about we go to my place after lessons tomorrow? I'm sure my parents will be out, so there won't be anyone to disturb us."

Athena stared up at her with glossy black eyes, and Lycoris knew what her answer would be before she spoke. "Of course. That would be nice."

"Just nice?" Lycoris teased. "I think I can go beyond nice." At least, she hoped she could. Even though she had no practical experience to speak of, she was determined to make up for her lack of knowledge with enthusiasm. And since Athena wasn't exactly an expert herself, she would probably be able to get away with it. "This is all new for you, isn't it?" she asked, trying and failing to sound casual. "You know..."

Her voice trailed off, but Athena filled in the gap. "The mating meld? Yes." Her eyes darted to one side, and for a moment, she almost looked guilty. "But I've done plenty of, um, research."

Lycoris's jaw dropped. "What kind of research?"

A soft purple blush burned at the points of Athena's freckled cheeks. She let out a nervous laugh, removing her hands from Lycoris's arms and twisting them in front of her. "Surely you've heard of the extranet. It's a vast galactic network that anyone can use to look up information. You should give it a try someday. You might actually learn something."

Although Athena's tone held a clear edge of sarcasm, Lycoris could tell that it was mostly for show. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one feeling a little nervous. She let her palm trail down Athena's side, cupping one of her hips to keep her from stepping away. "Hey, I won't judge you. Everyone our age has stumbled across porn at least once or twice, right?"

Athena narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Just once or twice?"

"Fine. More than that. But it doesn't matter. I know what I'm doing." She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small jar of pills. "I've even got protection," she said, tossing it and catching it in her free hand.

"Give me that." Athena yanked the bottle out of midair with her biotics, pulling it toward her with a small singularity field. "Where did you get these? I know some asari take hormone blockers in pill form, but I thought injections were more common."

Lycoris shuddered. "No way. Unless it's medigel, I don't want any needles poking me."

Athena looked at her with a curious expression and Lycoris realized just how uncool she must have just sounded. She wasn't afraid of needles, exactly, she just didn't feel the need to use them if she could take medication in any other form. "I mean, these work just as well as the injections."

Thankfully, Athena let her get away with it. She didn't bring up how injections were more reliable, or how pills were only effective if the user remembered to take them. And Lycoris didn't particularly feel like discussing her pureblood status with Athena. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Athena in any way.

Lycoris held out her hand and waited for Athena to give her back the pills. She slipped them into her pocket. "I should probably go home. I don't know if I can control myself around you right now, and I really don't want to get barged in on again. I'll see you tomorrow after lessons." Athena walked her to the door, and they shared one last quick kiss before Lycoris headed back to her hovercar.

She was so wrapped up in thoughts of Athena that she didn't remember her parents were hosting company until she was almost home. By then, it was too late to turn back around. She liked Athena's parents, but she didn't particularly want to talk to them, especially after what she had been doing with their daughter. With a sigh, she decided to slip into the apartment and head for her room, hopefully without disturbing anyone.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to get very far. Her parents were curled up on the living room couch with Shepard and Liara, watching an old holo with half-empty glasses of wine in hand. All four of them turned to look at her as she slipped through the door. They wore identical startled expressions, and even though Shepard and Liara were frequent guests at her house, Lycoris couldn't help feeling like she had intruded on something.

"Hey," she said, giving them a sheepish wave. "Sorry I'm home early. Benezia was being a pain." She suddenly remembered that Shepard and Liara were listening to every word she said, and she coughed in embarrassment. "Uh, I mean..."

"It's all right, Lycoris," Liara said, lifting her head from Shepard's shoulder and offering her a smile. "Benezia is my daughter. I know exactly how she can be."

Aria snorted. "Yeah. That one takes after you."

"Save it, you two," Tevos chided, shooting both of them a warning glance. "Lycoris, why don't you go to your room for a while? I don't think you'll like this vid."

Lycoris glanced over at the holo, and her stomach flipped when she saw two asari kissing. The cheesy romantic music and the sweeping camera shots gave it away immediately. "Ew, Vaenia? No way am I watching that with my parents. I'm out of here."

Tevos laughed. "That's what I thought. If you hurry, you might be able to escape before the sex scene starts."

Lycoris pulled a disgusted face and hurried down the hall to her room, trying to ignore the sounds of the vid floating behind her. Just before she closed her door, she heard Shepard make one last comment. "You must be proud, Aria. It only took your kid two seconds to figure out what movie it was..."

Once she was safe inside her room, Lycoris flopped on the bed, folding her arms behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. Even though she had left Athena half an hour ago, her lips were still tingling from their kiss. Their kiss... the actresses from Vaenia swam in front of her eyes again, but this time, she and Athena were the ones wrapped in a passionate embrace.

"I can't believe she said yes," Lycoris whispered to herself. "We're really going to do this." Another thought struck her, and she bolted upright again, biting down nervously on her lip. "Shit. We're really going to do this. She's going to be inside my head." Inside of her head, where all her fears and insecurities were, wrapped up in a messy, confusing tangle of feelings. "Oh Goddess, I'm going to blow it."

But...

She thought back to the way Athena had guided their kisses. The confidence and certainty she had shown. The eagerness in her dark eyes. If Athena could handle herself without any experience, so could she. Lycoris took a deep breath and fell back against the pillows, crossing her legs as a grin stretched across her face. Tomorrow was going to be amazing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Lycoris stood outside of the Asari embassy, waiting for Athena to finish with her lessons for the day. Her own tutor had released her early when it became painfully obvious that even her usual tenuous attention span was severely lacking. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about what would happen later that afternoon when she brought Athena home with her, and her concentration was completely shot.

Back when they were younger, their parents had hired the same tutor for them, but that had changed a few years back. Athena was more interested in advanced theoretical studies while she excelled at practical applications. Both of them still went to the Asari embassy for the last year of their schooling, Lycoris because her mother was an important political figure and Athena because the T'Soni family name was probably the most recognizable one in the galaxy, but they followed different lesson plans.

With nothing else to distract her, all Lycoris could think about was the next few hours. She had tried to wait inside for Athena, but quickly found it too stuffy, especially when the receptionist shot her a suspicious glare from behind the front desk. Eventually, she decided to move outside, but even there she couldn't find a comfortable place to wait. A sick, nervous feeling lingered in the pit of her stomach, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to go away for more than a second or two at a time.

She almost considered calling the whole thing off. Her palms were sweaty. Her throat was dry. And she wasn't entirely certain she could keep herself from vomiting. She didn't feel very sexy or appealing, even though the ache between her legs from yesterday still hadn't gone away. But Athena was literally the girl of her dreams, and Lycoris was terrified that she would never get such an opportunity again if she let it pass her by.

Sooner than she expected, but later than she hoped, Athena finally stepped through the embassy doors. Lycoris leapt to her feet, smoothing out the creases in her jacket in what she hoped was a nonchalant gesture. Athena's face broke into a smile upon seeing her, and she smiled back, suddenly feeling a lot calmer. Something about knowing Athena was happy to see her made her remember that they were friends before everything else, and no matter what happened, their relationship would remain in-tact.

But even though her heart was at ease, her body hadn't gotten the message. Her pulse picked up as Athena came closer, and she swallowed down a lump in her throat. "Hey," she said, wincing a little at the sound of her own voice. She had been going for a sexy drawl, but somehow, the word had come out as a nervous, shaking squeak instead. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean..."

Before she could finish, Athena closed the distance between them, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her down for an energetic kiss. Lycoris froze. Athena's lips were just as sweet as she remembered, but she couldn't seem to respond. It wasn't until Athena's tongue grazed her bottom lip that she finally remembered to kiss back. She was much more careful this time, only pushing forward when Athena invited it, and when they finally broke apart, she was thrilled to discover that she had left Athena breathless.

"Hey, Corrie. Ready to go?"

She nodded, wrapping an arm around Athena's shoulder. "Sure. We've got the whole place to ourselves... including the dungeon, if you want."

Athena laughed and shook her head. "No, thank you. I nearly died of embarrassment last time. Your bedroom is probably a better choice."

Lycoris breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful that she had woken up early to clean her room. At least she wouldn't embarrass herself before they even took off their clothes... Just thinking of Athena without her clothes made her stomach flip. She had caught a few glimpses before, mostly at the beach, but it had been a couple of years since their last joint vacation. Even back then, she had struggled not to stare.

"Corrie," Athena said, pulling her away from her memories.

She blinked, and a blush crawled up her neck as she realized that Athena had called her name more than once. "Sorry, what?" She tried to distract Athena by steering them towards the nearest rapid transit kiosk.

"Where did you go just now?" Athena asked curiously, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Warmth blossomed in Lycoris's chest at the familiar touch, and while she was a little worried that news would get back to Athena's parents, she couldn't help but feel proud of the public display of affection. She purposely shortened her strides to make it easier for Athena's slightly shorter legs to keep up. "I was just thinking about the last time I saw you naked."

"Really? And what did you think?"

She grinned. "I thought Nevos was a much better vacation spot than Earth, because you look even better naked than you do in a swimsuit."

Athena laughed as they arrived at the rapid transit kiosk. "Flatterer. But since we're confessing, I couldn't keep my eyes off you, either."

Lycoris cleared her throat awkwardly as a car pulled up to the kiosk. "So, ready to go back to my place?"

Athena sighed and shook her head, but her eyes were still laughing. "It's always a line with you, isn't it? Oh well..." She stood up on tiptoe, and Lycoris's breath hitched as Athena's lips grazed her cheek. "At least you're cute. Come on. I want to get away from this crowd."

Once Athena was comfortably situated in the far seat, Lycoris closed the door behind them and keyed in their destination. The engine hummed, and the car took off, weaving into the late afternoon traffic. Lycoris stretched her arms casually above her head, sliding one of them over Athena's shoulders. They stayed that way for the rest of the ride, curled into each other and counting down the seconds.

At last, the car came to a stop. Lycoris's stomach lurched. Even though it was her apartment, she was slightly terrified of going inside. Going inside meant there was no turning back, and even though she had imagined this exact scenario hundreds of times in her head, she wasn't confident in her ability to meet Athena's expectations. "You sure you wanna do this?" she asked, hoping her nervousness wasn't too obvious. "I can still take you home if you've changed your mind."

Athena smiled and reached over to squeeze the top of her thigh. "I definitely haven't changed my mind. Have you?"

Lycoris shook her head. "Uh-uh. No way am I backing out. Not when I finally have the chance to fuck you."

Athena looked at her in surprise, and for a moment, Lycoris feared she had said something wrong. "What do you mean, finally have the chance? Just how long have you been thinking about this?"

"A while," Lycoris admitted. "Okay, maybe a few decades. Don't laugh."

"I'm not laughing," Athena murmured. "I've been thinking about this for a while, too."

Lycoris's mouth fell open. She knew she probably looked ridiculous, but luckily, Athena didn't seem to mind. In fact, if she had to guess by the shy little smile tilting her lips, Athena seemed to enjoy stripping her down to the clumsy idiot she really was beneath all of her brazen talk. "Wait… you mean we could have been doing this sooner?"

"A lot sooner."

Athena climbed out of the car, and Lycoris followed, nearly tripping over her own feet. She kept turning the thought over in her mind until she realized that Athena was waiting for her to unlock the apartment door. "Sorry," she stammered, letting the sensor read her palm and standing aside so Athena could walk through first. "I guess you just surprised me."

"Is it really that surprising? We've always been friends… and I've always thought your Dad was pretty cute."

Lycoris groaned and shook her head as the front door closed behind them. "Please, don't say that right before we're about to have sex," she mumbled, but Athena didn't apologize. Instead, she walked right for the bedroom without any hesitation, acting as normally as she always did. Lycoris scurried after her, glancing nervously around the apartment to make sure it really was empty. One of the worst things she could imagine was getting interrupted by either of her parents, but especially her father.

Finally, they made it to her room, and she locked the door. When she turned around, she saw Athena standing beside her bed. There wasn't even a hint of doubt in her expression, and Lycoris couldn't decide if that calmed her down or made her even more nervous. She was supposed to be the confident, experienced one, and she didn't know if she could pull it off. "So…" she said once she'd stashed her pack by her desk, leaning up against it to try to look more nonchalant than she was feeling.

Athena stepped closer, reaching up to stroke the back of her neck. "How about we start where we left off last time?" She leaned up for a kiss, the low, husky octave of her voice sending shivers of pleasure up Lycoris's spine.

Lyrocis melted. The warmth and taste of Athena's kisses were swiftly becoming familiar to her, but the slant of Athena's lips over hers still sucked all the breath from her lungs and made every muscle in her body quiver. She folded one of her arms tight around Athena's waist, partially because she ached to pull her closer, but mostly because she was afraid she would lose her balance. When Athena's tongue slid along her bottom lip, she did the same, unable to summon enough brain power to do anything more than copy what was being done to her.

Fortunately, it seemed to work. Athena clutched the collar of her jacket, holding her in place for longer, deeper kisses as they started stumbling toward the bed. Although she was still nervous, Lycoris felt some of her fear draining away. Desire took its place, burning in the pit of her stomach and throbbing out to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Heat pooled between her legs, and she twitched against the seam of her pants.

"Maybe we should get rid of some clothes?" Athena whispered into her mouth.

"Oh! Yeah..." Lycoris nodded numbly, allowing Athena to slide her jacket down over her shoulders. Surprisingly, her confidence didn't disappear along with it. Athena's earlier comments were still echoing in her head. Once again, she started copying, sliding her hands up along Athena's back to find the zipper of her dress. Her fingers fumbled over the tab, but eventually, she managed to pull it down, whimpering a little as she found bare flesh. Athena's skin was even smoother and softer than she had expected, and her palms ached to feel more.

She had no balance left by the time Athena pushed her backwards onto the mattress. She let out a huff of surprise, but couldn't find it in herself to object as Athena crawled over her and started slipping out of her dress. Her eyes widened as the front peeled down, and she swallowed as Athena's breasts came into view. They were a little larger and softer looking than hers, with hard, thick purple nipples in the center and a scattering of freckles just above. Her fingers dug into the covers, fighting her immediate instinct to reach out and touch.

"Corrie? Are you okay?"

"Um..." She blinked, starting a little as Athena leaned closer. "Yeah." Her voice came out higher than she intended, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah, I'm fine. You're just... fuck, you're beautiful, The."

Lycoris watched as a faint blush crept up Athena's neck to color her cheeks. It was the first time she had seemed the least bit embarrassed, and Lycoris was enchanted that it was over a compliment. She decided right then and there that she would do everything she could to put that little blush on Athena's face as often as possible. "Can I…Um… I mean, may I touch you?" she asked, her palms itching to touch the beautiful blue flesh that was exposed just for her.

"I can't believe you pick now to show some of those manners I know your mother bred into you." Athena's hands covered hers, dragging them up along her body and cupping them over her breasts. She groaned softly as her palms were filled with Athena's soft flesh for the first time. They were a perfect fit, almost like they had been made for her. And as amazing as it felt to be holding Athena's breasts in her hands, Lycoris was surprised to find herself just as entranced with the beautiful hands holding her own in place. Athena's hands were smaller than hers, but still strong, and Lycoris liked the contrast of their skin tones.

"Well?" Athena teased. "Is something wrong? You can touch them this time."

"I... I thought I was," Lycoris stammered, but she swallowed over the break in her voice and gave Athena's breasts a gentle squeeze. They were soft and firm at the same time, and so, so warm. She could feel the hardened points pushing into the middle of her palms, and when Athena's hands fell away, she trapped them between her fingers and gave a soft tug. The sigh that spilled from between Athena's lips made her abdomen clench with desire, and she repeated the motion again, hoping she could discover even more of those sweet sounds.

Lycoris's confidence grew swiftly, and it didn't take her long to discover exactly what Athena liked. The noises she made and the darkening of her eyes told her everything she needed to know. She started to explore further, and finally, she pulled one of Athena's nipples between her lips, running her tongue tentatively over the tip.

Athena's pleased whimper was even better than the soft sighs she had earned before. She was a little surprised when Athena's hands clutched the back of her crest, holding her in place, but she didn't object. This was exactly where she wanted to be. She drew the point of Athena's nipple further into her mouth, and when the fingers on the back of her crest clutched tighter, she dared to graze the edges with her teeth.

That earned a long, loud groan instead of just a whimper. Athena's hips pushed down into hers, rubbing hard across her abdomen, and Lycoris desperately wished she wasn't wearing her clothes. She wanted to feel Athena paint her stomach with wetness, but while both of them were still dressed, the gesture was only a tease. Without giving up her place, she tried to tug Athena's dress even further down.

Unfortunately, instead of helping to strip away her clothes, Athena pushed her hands. Lycoris released her nipple and looked up at her in confusion, trying not to let her disappointment show. "Not so fast. You aren't the only one who's been waiting for this. I want to see you, too."

Lycoris didn't have to be told twice. She reached for the hem of her shirt and ripped it over her head, flinging the garment to the side. If she had any remaining doubts, they vanished completely as Athena's eyes roamed hungrily over her torso. Suddenly, the rest of her clothes felt constricting. "Pants," she gasped, bucking forward against nothing as Athena's warm hands stroked along her stomach. "Um, just... just let me take off..." She tore her hands away from Athena and fumbled with her zipper, groaning with relief as the pressure eased a little.

Athena kept smiling down at her, staring with unconcealed curiosity, and Lycoris's inner muscles shivered with anticipation. For the first time, she wished she hadn't chosen to wear such tight pants. They did wonders for her ass, but they weren't easy to get off. She bit her lower lip and tried to shove them down over her hips, but it was nearly impossible to undress while Athena was kneeling over her hips. Reluctantly, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, scooting higher on the mattress and kicking out with her feet as she struggled to finish stripping. She knew she looked ridiculous, but couldn't bring herself to care.

"Here, let me..."

"Just give me a second..."

Athena leaned down to help just as she tried to yank one of her legs free. Lycoris went tumbling off the side of the bed, legs still trapped together. She hit the floor with a thud, and it took her several moments to collect herself. Athena peered down at her, obviously concerned, but also undeniably amused. "Are you okay, Corrie?" she asked, unable to hide the giggle in her voice.

Lycoris sighed and shook her head. "Don't worry. My pride is going to have a bigger bruise than my ass." It was difficult to pick herself up off the floor with her pants still tangled around her knees, so she kicked them off as quickly as possible before climbing back to her feet. She wasn't the least bit self-conscious about her nakedness until she looked up and realized that Athena was staring directly between her legs. She froze half-way onto the bed, but as strong as the urge to close her legs was, to protect herself from any judgment, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Athena wasn't looking at her with anything other than blatant hunger. "Come back to bed," Athena purred, and the sound of her voice sent shivers up Lycoris's spine.

She settled back on the mattress and watched as Athena slid the rest of the way out of her dress. Although she was slightly disappointed that she hadn't been able to do the job herself, she quickly got over it when Athena leaned down and planted a kiss between her breasts. The soft, warm graze of lips over her skin made her tremble, and a low groan broke in her throat. She tried to summon the strength to flip Athena over, but the warm mouth sliding down along her stomach made it impossible to control her movements. Her hips pushed forward, and she groaned again as blunt teeth nipped the tender skin below her sternum.

"Oh, Goddess," Athena whispered, still scattering kisses over her stomach. "You taste good, Corrie. And you're so wet..."

Lycoris's eyes widened when she realized what Athena meant. While searching for some kind of contact to ease the pressure between her legs, she had started rubbing against Athena's abdomen. She froze, torn between embarrassment and desire, but Athena gently gripped her hips and urged her to continue. Hesitantly, she rocked forward again, and her breath hitched as another pulse of wetness spilled out of her.

Athena smiled against her skin and rewarded her with several more kisses. "Feeling you is making me want to taste you," she murmured, still guiding her hips in a slow grind. "Please, let me?"

Lycoris stared down at Athena in surprise. When she fantasized about her first time with Athena, that wasn't usually one of the activities she pictured. She typically imagined herself giving Athena pleasure instead. But even though it came as a surprise, the request made her throb and push up harder into Athena's stomach. She bit her lip, torn with indecision, but eventually, her desire won out. "Okay," she said, trying desperately to keep her voice from shaking. "If that's what you want..."

"Oh, it's definitely want I want." Athena pushed her hips down into the mattress to keep her in place and scooted closer to the foot of the bed. "And I think it's what you want, too."

Lycoris couldn't think of a response before Athena spread her thighs apart. Soon, she couldn't form coherent words, much less an entire sentence, if her life depended on it. All she could do was feel. And she quickly realized that no matter how vivid and incredibly arousing her dreams had been, there was no comparing them to this reality. First there was the warmth of Athena's breath, the softness of her lips and finally the incredible heat of her mouth. Just the feel of Athena's tongue tracing the outer lips of her azure made her feel like she was going to shake apart.

Buzzing, crackling energy rushed to the back of her head, and she nearly arched off the mattress. It was a sensation she had experienced many times on her own, but never before had it been so strong. She wanted to meld. It was an incredibly powerful urge, but she was afraid that she didn't have nearly enough control to do it safely, and she was terrified of what she might transmit to Athena if they did enter the joining.

Unfortunately, any small amount of control she still had over her own body was demolished when Athena's lips wrapped around her throbbing clit. The warmth and pressure sealing around her completely shattered her willpower. Her mind exploded outward, searching for something to connect with, and Athena was there, bright and beautiful and just within reach. She latched onto Athena like a lifeline as her world erupted into peaks of vivid color, pleasure that bordered on the edge of pain.

"The!" Lycoris screamed as she clutched at the back of Athena's crest. Her hips jerked, and the force of her climax sent rippling contractions through her entire body. Everything that was Athena rushed in to fill her mind, and a burst of heat spilled out from deep inside of her, splashing over Athena's lips and chin. The pressure finally released in a flood, and a few tears leaked from her eyes as she pulled Athena as close as she possibly could.

At last, the shuddering stopped, but Lycoris made no effort to sever the meld. It seemed as though she had waited an eternity for this moment, this woman, and she couldn't bear to give them up. Instead of pulling back, she allowed herself to explore the mind that had tied itself to hers, reaching out cautiously across the connection. _'Um. Hi?'_

Athena placed another soft kiss against the tip of her ridge before drawing back. _'Hi? That's the best line you have?'_ Even inside her head, Athena's voice and laughter sounded beautiful and familiar.

_'Sorry. I - I'm not really used to melding with people...'_

Athena smiled up at her, resting a slick cheek against her thigh. _'It's okay, Corrie. I already knew.'_

Lycoris couldn't quite hide her surge of embarrassment at the exposure of her lies, but she tried her best._ 'That obvious, huh?'_

_'Only a lot. Don't worry. I thought it was cute.'_

_'Cute isn't exactly what I was going for...'_ Lycoris looked down at Athena, wanting to see her as well as feel her, and she blushed when she realized just how much of a mess she had made. The lower half of Athena's face glistened with wetness, and the sheets beneath them would definitely need to be changed. _'I'm sorry about that. I didn't know it would happen... or that it would happen so fast.'_

_'Don't worry.'_ The amused laughter in Athena's voice ricocheted around Lycoris's mind, but the familiar chastising made her feel comforted instead of self-conscious. _'You were incredibly sexy.'_ Lycoris couldn't contain her satisfied sigh when Athena nuzzled against the patch of sensitive skin just below her navel, placing a gentle kiss there as well. It surprised Lycoris how comfortable she was with Athena in her mind, but they had always been close, and aside from her inflated bragging, they rarely kept secrets.

They rested together for a few moments, savoring their new closeness, but she felt arousal stir within her again as her hand stroked the top of Athena's crest. She was a bit surprised, since her first orgasm had been more satisfying than anything she had ever imagined, but she eventually understood that it wasn't only her own need she was feeling. Athena had shared in the pleasure of her release, but it obviously hadn't been enough to satisfy her. She quickly pulled Athena back up, pressing their lips together in a hot, hungry kiss that was all passion and little finesse.

She tried to flip Athena seamlessly onto her back, just like in the vids she had watched on the extranet, but apparently it was a move that required a little practice. They got hopelessly tangled for a moment before Athena's sure hands calmed her down enough to slide free._ 'Here,'_ Athena thought, rolling onto her own back and opening her arms. Still a little embarrassed, Lycoris crawled on top of her and stared down into her eyes, gasping as desire that was not her own sparked between their skin._ 'Please, Corrie,'_ Athena's voice pleaded in her head. The sweet sound made the back of her neck tingle. _'Touch me?'_

Lycoris couldn't resist. She had spent years daydreaming about all the different ways she could give Athena pleasure, and now that she finally had the chance, she wasn't going to waste it. She leaned in for another kiss, softer this time, and slid one of her palms down along the flat plane of Athena's stomach. Athena shifted beneath her and parted her thighs, wordlessly inviting her touch, and she gave in, letting her hand slip down between Athena's legs. She didn't know which of them moaned the loudest when her fingertips glided through the slick wetness there.

She spent a few minutes just exploring Athena's outer lips, mostly because she was utterly fascinated and not because she had any wish to tease. It wasn't until she heard another pleading, _'Please, Corrie,'_ in her mind that she snapped out of her haze. She didn't want to rush this, not when she finally had Athena spread out beneath her, begging for her touch. She was determined to learn every inch of Athena's body and extract every bit of pleasure that she could.

Her fingers delved a little bit deeper between Athena's legs, marveling at the soft, silky texture of the delicate tissues beneath her fingertips. She knew when she grazed Athena's clit because her lover's breath hitched and her hips jerked into the caress. Lycoris circled the hard ridge, feeling it thicken and throb at her touch, which seemed to produce a similar response in her own body. _'Is this okay?'_ she asked, still gazing down into Athena's shimmering black eyes.

Athena nodded and bit down on her lower lip, pushing harder against her fingertips. "Yes," she gasped outside of the meld, hooking a knee firmly around her waist. "Oh, yes..." She began rolling her hips, transforming the teasing touch into a rhythm, and Lycoris tried her best to follow it, circling the stiff ridge of Athena's clit whenever she rocked forward.

Soon, her fingertips were covered in wetness, and Athena's shaking breaths had been replaced with a constant stream of whimpers. Her entire body quivered, and Lycoris smiled as Athena's arms flung around her neck, dragging her even closer. Her mouth was caught in a searing kiss as soon as she lowered her head, and at the same moment, her fingers slipped, skimming against the warm, clinging muscles of Athena's entrance. She froze, waiting for a signal to proceed.

_'Go ahead.'_ The edges of Athena's nails scraped down along her back, raising soft lines between her shoulder blades. The buzzing in the back of her head started up again as Athena began drawing from their union, following the thread of their connection deeper into her mind. _'I want to know what it's like to feel you inside me.'_

There was no defense against the chaotic thoughts that barreled through the meld as Lycoris's fingers pushed into Athena's velvety heat. She had trouble sorting through everything that Athena was thinking, but she was relieved at what she found. Most of Athena's thoughts were about how good it felt, how full she was, and how much she enjoyed the slight stretch of her muscles. Lycoris only wanted to give her more.

She kept as much control over her movements as possible, listening intently to everything that Athena shared through the meld. When Athena first wondered how it would feel to be stretched just a little more, Lycoris carefully pushed back into her with another finger, earning a gasp of pleasure and another set of scratches down the middle of her back. It amazed Lycoris how tight Athena was, and how much pleasure she was receiving just from fulfilling her lover's every desire.

There was so much sensory information coming at her, both from her own body and through the meld, that Lycoris was afraid that she'd miss something. She didn't want to miss anything when it came to Athena. Still, she thought that she was doing a pretty good job, especially when she felt Athena stiffen beneath her and a lightning flash of pleasure streak through the meld. It took her a few moments to figure out that her fingers had grazed something inside of Athena to cause the reaction, and she focused on trying to recreate it.

After some trial and error, Lycoris pushed purposefully against Athena's front wall, an experiment that left her gasping as another flashbang of pleasure exploded inside of her. She found a rhythm that she knew Athena liked, thrusting as deep as possible into her azure before dragging her fingers out slowly, curling them against that sensitive spot along her inner wall on the way. Athena's entire body was wound tighter and tighter with each push.

"Corrie!" The sound of her name cut through the haze of lust, and she looked down to see Athena writhing beneath her. It was the most beautiful sight she could imagine, made even more beautiful by the flood of lust pouring into her through the union. She knew without being told that Athena was close, and she wanted nothing more than to return every ounce of pleasure that her new lover had given to her.

_'Goddess, I want to feel you come,'_ Lycoris thought. She brought the pad of her thumb up to the throbbing point of Athena's clit, swiping over the swollen ridge as her other fingers continued curling. _'I want it more than anything...'_ For a moment, she felt intensely vulnerable even though Athena was the one hovering on the edge of madness, but the rush of affection and reassurance running just beneath the swelling ocean of desire was enough to reassure her.

_'I... we're going to...'_

And then 'I' stopped making sense, and Lycoris found herself being swallowed up by everything that was Athena. Fierce, joyful need burned beneath her skin, and wetness burst into her hand, sliding over her palm as the walls of Athena's azure fluttered wildly around her fingers. Her own muscles tensed, then released, pulsing in time with the other heart inside of hers. Her lips found Athena's one last time, but the kiss was surprisingly soft, with both of them struggling to breathe around the edges. When they did manage to draw in shuddering gasps of air, it was at the same time.

But such an intense connection couldn't be sustained for long. As the powerful waves became ripples, they retreated back into their own minds, saying goodbye with soft touches until they finally stopped shivering. The first word that Lycoris knew for certain had come from her own mind was Athena's name. "Oh, The," she sighed into Athena's mouth, unwilling to pull away from the kiss just yet. "That was... we were..." She couldn't find the language to describe it, even in her head. Athena had split her apart and held the very center of her being in her hands.

"Mmm... we were," Athena mumbled, giving Lycoris one last soft kiss before turning over onto her side and dragging Lycoris's arm around her waist.

Lycoris stared down at Athena in wonder. She was already drifting off to sleep. At first, she was a little disappointed. Her first mating meld had been wonderful, and she wanted to experience it all over again. However, the more Lycoris thought about it, the wider her smile grew. She had managed to sap all of Athena's energy with a single orgasm. Obviously, she had done her job well, even without a lot of experience. Feeling extremely proud of herself, Lycoris pulled Athena's back tight against her front, nuzzling into her shoulder. She hadn't felt tired before, but now that she was contentedly curled up with Athena in her arms, sleep snuck in beneath the covers. Perhaps she could convince Athena to go for round two after a short nap.


End file.
